Breath of Life
by MetalChickCrisis2040
Summary: Into the Deep: 'True loves kiss…' she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn't keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _FEEEEEELS_ are mine. Characters and OUAT aren't. But the _feels_man. The _feels_.

**Author's Note:** Written for **'Into the Deep'** because how is an Evil Charming shipper to resist THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE. It was set up so perfectly, the scene basically slapped me in the face and was like "BITCH, THIS IS WHERE YOUR MIND IS GOING. FOLLOW IT." And I didn't want to be slapped again so I said ok. A mixture of jittery I CAN'T and I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH, so this probably isn't the best. Thank you, inner fangirl. For distracting me several times throughout this fic. Hope my fellow shippers enjoy, as it's mostly Regina "feels" Mills.

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_'True loves kiss…' she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn't keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince._

* * *

It was amazing how difficult Regina found it to be to lie to Henry after her initial promise to better herself. The details of the agreement were to limit the use of magic, cut it out altogether. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was one of those scenarios where lying was unavoidable. The truth would have devastated him, and Regina could take no more heartache for her son, especially when she felt responsible for the majority of it. And now she sat beside yet another victim of a curse she had wrought. Of course, this time under very different circumstances, but that did little to quell the gnaw churning in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the man who belonged to her adversary.

Henry had gone to dinner with Belle, an obvious attempt to stall the boy's inquiry, giving Regina enough time to gather her composure, to strengthen her resolve to deliver the news she knew Henry would take with a heavy heart. How odd it was that she found her life sustaining organ beat painfully now, too, at the sight of a man who had lost everything and for what? All because he had been caught in the cross fire? Because that's where every train of thought ended. Regina's disdain for Snow White had become all consuming, taking with it the world and it's inhabitants. Well, for the most part anyway. There were few who escaped her wrath, but all had eventually suffered because of it.

And as she sat dwelling on it now, gazing with eyes unclouded by hate, Regina Mills found herself utterly appalled by her behavior. There was cause only in her ire, not in the deeds she had invoked because of it. And now Prince Charming lay in a coma once more.

"Oh David, I'm so sorry for all of this." In a rare moment of weakness, she allowed the walls that had erected around her heart to come crashing down. It was inevitable with the turn out of events as of late. Tears cascaded down her cheeks silently, her shoulders shaking, head swaying from side to side, as if to brush off the sympathy she knew Prince Charming would give to her now - now that he had witnessed the woman beneath the rage. Sniffling, and after the initial onslaught of emotion, the once Evil Queen found herself leaning towards the sleeping prince. Resting her forearms on her knees, she folded her arms and tucked them inwards, waiting until her voice had lost the hiccup.

"The truth is, I stopped caring about myself a long time ago, and when you cease to care about your own well being, you lose sight of everything else. I began blaming your wife for everything inconvenient that ever happened to me. It was her fault I wasn't happy, she had taken my true love and found one of her own." Dropping her eyes from the rough tenderness of his face, the way his brow set in that steely determination, the firm line of his mouth and the swell of his lips. She focused momentarily on the scar on his chin, and then her gaze moved elsewhere.

"She was able to marry, and have a child, all the while knowing how that luxury had been taken from me. But it never had anything to do with you. Or anyone else, for that matter. My bitterness was so great, that it consumed everything. Even now, I sometimes feel smothered by it, and the only thing keeping me grounded is Henry." It had escaped her notice how close she had gotten to the edge of her seat. Regina took a shaky breath, swallowing thickly to stay the burn of her words, the depth of her despair.

"Ever since Daniel… Henry's been the only constant in my life. I wanted a semblance of the love I had lost back, and I found that limitless affection by having a son. We haven't exactly seen eye to eye since he was eight years old but, thanks to all of this, and now thanks to you, I think I might have a chance of being invited to his eleventh birthday party." The humorless laugh that escaped her drew her back to reality. The silence that enveloped her was only a little uncomfortable, but the soft sounds of David's breathing soon soothed the disquiet beginning to take her. Licking her lips, she adjusted herself, straightening her posture.

Falling into a wordless reverie, she propped her elbow upon the stand next to the bed, using her fist as a head rest. This whole situation brought back unwanted memories. There was something familiar about David that she hadn't noticed until further inspecting the man in his potion induced sleep. A common shepherd who fell in love with a royal. Since when was he so similar to her Daniel? Was this ever a factor in her schemes whenever she involved the man Snow married? Face contorted in deep thought, Regina wondered why she had never connected the two before.

They were two men who had been at the wrong places, wrong times.

Shutting her eyes, she knew why she'd never pondered it. The agony was excruciating, and her heart had already bled enough.

Flicking her gaze to David's facial features, she reached out with her free hand and set it over his own. She mistook the sudden warmth that flared through her being as a sign of working herself up.

Despite the connections that could be made, David was not Daniel. David had every right to hate her, and yet somehow, he didn't. At first, he seemed to. But then again, who wouldn't despise the woman who had tried to kill you and yours for years? Who manipulated curses to rip them apart? However gradually, she had noticed that David had begun to lose that fury. After she had nearly bent in front of him at the barn, he seemed to view her in a new light. Perhaps most would, if she would forsake her pride but it wasn't pity that she wanted. She wanted to be forgiven, and David had done just that. Even before that day, he had let Henry speak with her on the phone. Those conversations were few and far between, but they were cherished, and it wasn't long before David had invited her over for dinner, and taken up her invitation for he and Henry to join her.

This man was not a man who held a grudge, who acted upon the necessary and never without just cause. Because of him, Henry was happy. Closing her fingers around his, she gave a squeeze, leaning back over his slumbering form.

"I won't rest until you return to Henry, I'll find some other way to counter the curse. Henry needs you." I need you.

The instant the thought shattered the walls of her mind, Regina blinked through the rapidly growing confusion. She paused when she felt David's hand briefly flinch, watching as his brow began to twitch. It was over within moments, but her eyes remained glued to his, even though they were closed, and she almost expected them to open and for that icy blue stare of his to turn towards her.

_True loves kiss…_ she thought, it had never worked for her before, and there was absolutely no reason for it to do so now. But somewhere between making promises she knew she couldn't keep and berating herself for pining for a man because he held reserves that were not unlike her ex-fiancé, she had come off her chair, and was now kneeling beside one Charming prince.

She didn't know, nor did she care, what she was doing, she only knew that her heart was beating _oh_ so fast and his lips were there, and just once.

_Just once_, she wanted to know what it was like to be kissed by a man who held as much love and devotion as David held for Snow. She wanted to feel the same way Daniel had made her feel.

And before she could come to her senses, before she had the time to stop herself, her lips were hovering over David's. She could feel his shallow breaths as her lips parted and settled over his.

She gasped in surprise when she felt his lips beginning to move against her own.

The door in the other room creaked open then, Regina broke the kiss soundly, hurriedly pushing herself to her feet as she straightened her attire, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks, and hoping the flush wasn't too obvious. Heaven's knew her ears burned, and her pulse raced. As she stood watching David's expression contort, and his eyes flutter open, they briefly connected with hers before Henry burst into the room.

"Is he awake yet! Is he awake yet?" Opening her mouth to answer him, he dropped to his knees beside the bed and found out for himself. "He's awake! Grandpa, you're awake!"

Leaving the two to their little reunion, Regina avoided David's probing gaze and instead turned away. Henry caught her hand before she could make her escape. "Was it you? Did you do something to help him? I thought he was gone." Small arms encircled her waist, drawing a laugh from the Mayor.

"Henry, I…" the kiss burned in her memory. Her eyes looked toward David and then instantly averted themselves as she laid a hand across Henry's back. "It must've been Mary Margaret because I… didn't do anything."

Rumplestiltskin, who had been observing the scene from the door, chimed in suspiciously, "Of course you didn't, dearie. Only true loves kiss is powerful enough to break that curse."

Somehow, Regina didn't think she could blame this one on coincidence.

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**/End Notes:** I know, I kind of rushed the end here, but it was 7:30 in the morning, and I was dead tired. I might continue this, it all depends on the feedback I get.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Notes:** Oh my, the response to this has been incredible and I just want to squish you all for your interest and for leaving me reviews. They made my week, and lifted my spirits to untold heights. Thank you all so much for the support.

This took longer to write than I anticipated. A slow progression it shall be, but every chapter will include a little bit of growth. I hope you're all in this for the long haul with me, I'll definitely need the encouragement.

I had to include a small hint of Red Charming in here. I have so many fucking ships, I don't know which one to sail upon, so I've tied them all together, and will Jack Sparrow my multi-shipping heart like a boss.

Without further adieu, here is the next installment of '_Breath of Life_'.

Leave your thoughts behind.

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"How are you feeling, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin inquired, producing a cup of water and two aspirin for the Prince. David sat upon the cot, rubbing away the ache in his neck and the stiffness in his shoulders, brow pinched in minor agony from the rush of life that began flowing through his veins once more. At the other man's approach, he paused the small relief effort to take the offering, lips pressed together firmly for a moment as he expelled a breath through his nose.

"Like I was hit by a bus," David replied, throwing back the pills and water in one swig. Was that what Snow had seen, what Henry had witnessed? Was that truly the reality of those nightmares? He could still feel the flames licking at his skin, the heat as an explosion occurred and the fires sprang forth. The up draft of hot air stole the oxygen from his lungs, replacing it with poisonous fog. Unable to flee from such a fate, it was terrifying.

The sound of Rumplestiltskin's cane clicking across the floorboards pulled him from the reverie, David's eyes rose to the ambiguous dealer. "Unlike the boy here, you emerged relatively unscathed. I'd say a small headache is a fair trade for such a dangerous stunt like that. Was it worth it?"

"Yes," David nodded, the underlying question simple: Was he successful? "Snow was there, I knew she should be." And the smile was automatic, the mere mention of her name raising his spirits. "They're on their way to your little cubicle as we speak."

The mild drop of humor did not arouse Gold's amusement, his dark eyes silent.

"So you did see her?" Henry beamed from beside David, hands braced on either side of him as he gazed up at his grandfather with adoration. "I kind of wish I could've seen my mom, but I don't think I'd want her in that place, y'know?"

Reaching up, David squeezed Henry's shoulder, acknowledging the sentiment. "I wouldn't wish that place upon anyone." he agreed.

A few moments passed in complete silence, the fact that Snow and Emma had little chance to ward off Cora even with the ink in their possession eclipsed by Charming's awakening.

Regina, sitting quietly in a chair off to Henry's left, fumbled with the open flaps of her button-up. Cinnamon eyes out of focus as she listened not to the conversation, but to her minds rapid thought projection. How had she done it? Why had her kiss awoken the slumbering prince? What did it mean? _You know what it means… _

_No, _her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply, drowning out the sound of David's voice as he spoke with Henry. _This man is the husband of disdain._

Telling herself that, however, was proving to be harder than it would've been several months ago.

"What do we do now?" The premonition of his family's return had him near giddy. David stood, stretching and rolling his shoulders as he took two steps forward, hands coming to rest upon his hips. "Shouldn't we make preparations or something?"

Regina wanted to roll her eyes for his lack of knowledge in the respects of magic and portals. "It's not that easy." she swallowed, clearing her throat.

"Her Majesty is correct. First, we have to locate the portal, and then create fail-safes to ensure our own safety should Cora be the one that comes through. There are, after all, no guarantees that Ms. Swan and your lovely wife will be the only ones who make it here via that portal."

David contemplated this, he knew he couldn't argue with them on this. Cora was not a woman he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. For one woman to have Regina this beside herself, none within the room wished to argue with Gold's suggestion. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find that portal."

**x**

"I could help," Ruby offered, handing over a carrier containing three coffees. David and Regina had stopped in to drop Henry off, not wanting to drag him out through the town in search of the tear in the continuum of time. Although the boy had resisted at first, knowing that they wouldn't be remaining in wait of their expected arrivals soothed his worries, and he had folded without further convincing. "I'm good with this sort of thing." the wolf turned waitress pressed, glancing over his shoulder to the table where Henry sat, Regina in the booth beside him, speaking words of comfort much to the public's stark surprise.

Red, as she had been known before the curse, had always been protective over Snow and hers. There was no boundary she would not cross, her loyalty so great, she had proved herself to be a valuable ally many times over. That, however, wasn't the issue here. There was no arguing this woman's ability to sniff out certain things that regular humans such as himself could never uncover with undefined senses. This was about Henry.

"I know you are, but right now, I need to leave Henry in the care of someone I know that I can trust. The dwarves are mining, I can't leave Henry down there with them. What if there's a cave-in? I can't take that risk. You're the only one I trust to watch him right now, Ruby. Do this for me, please?"

He really didn't need to plead. "I just…" she began, dropping her gaze from the sight of mother and son as she stepped closer to the prince, leaving little space between them. David's brows bunched curiously, but the fact that he didn't move so much as an inch spoke of the trust between them. Ruby brought her eyes up to his, and realization dawned on him from the depth of her worry. "I don't think you should be alone with either of them, David. You're powerless against their magic. At least if I go with you, you'll have my curse."

Understanding her concern, David's lips parted, but the words failed him, and instead, he shifted to stand beside her, motioning towards Regina and Henry. The brunette had her head lying against Henry's, her arm tucked around his shoulder, and her words seemed to soothe him as his eyes were closed, and he was leaning into her. Watching them for a few moments, wanting for it to sink in, and absorbing it himself, he glanced back down to his over protective friend.

"Do you see that, Ruby? That woman is the _real _Regina Mills. We had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting her other half, a half I've come to discover that I have, too."

"That you have to? David, you're nothing-"

The sharpness of his blue eyes cut her off, and wordlessly they both turned to the counter, taking to a booth. It was an automatic between them; when one had something to say, the other instinctively knew it, and waited patiently.

"We've been cursed for twenty eight years, and I spent the better part of it in a coma. David did…horrible things to Mary Margaret," he shook his head, wiping his hand over his wrinkled brow. "To remember, to finally hold both my wife and my daughter in my arms… There wasn't time to rectify anything. Before I knew it, I had lost them…again. And that feeling, it's…it's devastating. The emptiness and unfairness of it all made me question my faith. I felt weak, that I couldn't protect either of them, that I couldn't follow them. My heart might as well have been ripped out, because you lose sight of yourself. You should know, I was prepared to chase down Jefferson despite the town migrating out of Storybrooke. I was ready to kill the King, had you not been there to stop me. Who did the Queen have?"

_No one._

As his words sunk in, Ruby finally understood what he was trying to say.

He had come to understand Regina's sorrow, if just a little, from the loss of his family not once, but twice. It was a toll that drove the sane, insane. Happiness had been robbed of them both, and what was left was a shell of who they had once been before.

They were hollow.

While he buried his face in his hands, composing himself, Ruby soothed hers over his back, peering towards that corner booth, at the woman who had sent them all to this place. If David had come to see her differently, then there was no reason she and the rest of the town couldn't at least try to do the same.

**x**

They drove in a mutual quiet, one that Regina was thankful for. Departing with Henry at the diner had been difficult, he was just starting to warm up to her - to trust her. For so long, she had been vying for that attention, for Henry to love her the way he loves Emma. Was it too much to ask for? To be recognized by a child she had raised from infancy? She had given him everything, learned to cook… and yet, she had failed to learn to put him first. Despite wanting to argue otherwise, she knew that the curse had always been top priority. Only when faced with the prospect of possibly losing her son did she come to see the error of her ways, and by then it was deemed too late. The hardest part of it all had been losing Henry.

Lifting her head off of her fist, letting her arm fall from the door to her lap, she looked over towards David. His attention focused on the dirt road ahead as they traveled the mountain trail, their destination the well that presided over Lake Nostos. They were meeting Gold there, after having scouted other possible magic hot spots, and she was finding it difficult to keep her mind from going back to that kiss.

David had played a major roll in Henry's turnaround. Often calling her when he needed to run, the one-man law enforcement no longer enough due to the chaos of recent events. Good and evil loosed amongst the town, old grievances come to light, prior engagements and quarrels picking up where they left off. Still, he reaped what he had not sewn. And he did so, without complaint. Perhaps that was what had first made her give the man a second thought. The fact that he had only allowed his anger to get the best of him in her presence once, when he had saw fit to let the Wraith consume her soul.

When faced with a mess she had made, he didn't call her out for it.

He didn't blame her.

She caught herself looking at his lips.

Why didn't he blame her?

He hated her.

She was _supposed_ to hate him.

"Everything alright over there?"

Blinking, Regina lifted her gaze and saw that he was periodically glancing at her, his mouth curved upwards in either amusement or something else. The fact that she didn't have to force a smile unnerved her. "What? Oh, yes. Sorry, I was just dilly-dallying." Laughter spilled humorlessly from her lips, soft and short. A part of her wished that it had been like any other kiss she'd given, done in the moment, and nothing more. It went without saying that she had not been expecting him to wake up. The implications were too mind boggling, and she had enough on her plate to worry about.

"You sure? You've been quiet. Everything okay with Henry? I know he doesn't approve of us leaving him."

"No, he doesn't, but can you blame him?"

David shook his head.

"He's a smart kid, strong. I don't know if I could have handled any of this when I was his age. My main concerns were herding the sheep, and keeping up with chores." The trip down memory lane, for him, was refreshing. But he soon regretted the reminiscing thoughts.

"You had it made." Regina didn't like bringing up her past, particularly with those she considered unworthy. But David… There was something about Prince Charming that made him…different. "When I was ten years old, I was constantly evading my mother's efforts to teach me magic. Instead, she made me walk for hours on the tip of my toes, with a book on top of my head, constantly hovering to make sure that my spine was straight. Fun was kin to failure. She wouldn't have her only daughter enjoying herself, no, that wouldn't teach etiquette. It wouldn't do for me to be out doing the one thing I loved most."

Her voice trailed off, leaving the curiosity to hang in the air.

David busied himself in the mean time, hoping to give her space, and that if he did, she would continue, as he pulled the truck next to Gold's vehicle. The well was up ahead, a short trek.

When the engine was killed, and the Mayor made no move to evacuate the truck as quickly as she could, he took it as a sign of encouragement. Hadn't anyone ever shown interest in her past? Had no one tried to know the woman underneath the rage and the power?

Flexing his fingers over the steering wheel, he pushed out his arms to stretch, and then turned his head her way. She was staring out of the windshield, paying him no mind, lost in her own thoughts.

The vulnerability displayed then made his heart ache, and for a second, he forgot about Snow, and why they were here.

"And?"

After a few moments, Regina's gaze shifted to David's. Those intense blues undivided as they waited, _patiently_.

No one had ever shown such genuine interest. She found her voice, "Riding." It came out as a half whisper, weighted by the emotion threatening to turn her into mush before him…again. She couldn't allow herself to be so weak, not now. "My father and I would always steal off to the stables when my mother wasn't around. I was free when I rode my horse. She couldn't touch me."

In that moment, David didn't care about all the things she had done. Reaching over, he placed his hand atop hers, and watched as her eyes briefly flickered down between them, before leaping back to his.

"You did a fine job raising Henry."

Those were the only words he spoke, and then his fingers curled around the door handle and he let himself out. Regina sat there, watching as he walked to the front of the truck, and waited.

_For her._

She glanced back down to her hand, the warmth of his touch lingering. It took her several more seconds to calm her pounding heart.

Taking a deep breath, Regina opened the door and stepped down from the truck. She walked side by side with Charming, and when he offered her his arm as she stumbled in her heels climbing the slight muddy incline, she wondered if this were a dream.

Maybe she had pricked herself with that needle, instead.

Maybe this was a dream.

Unfortunately, Regina Mills had never been so lucky, and she was definitely beginning to feel the forbidden for a man she could not have.

She only prayed that she could take the looming heart break after it having destroyed her before.

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**End Notes:** Feed back is much appreciated. I will try to respond to all reviews, and anonymous/guest account ones from here on out.


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